Eleutheria
by Xanderette43
Summary: Dawn reflects and goes on patroll with Spike.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Eleutheria  
Author: Christine  
E-mail: Xanderette43@hotmail.com  
Site: Lil' Nibblin - http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/spikedawn  
Distribution: Everywhere that's gotten permission already, anyone else just ask and I'll say yes. :)  
Disclaimer: As if anyone didn't know already, I don't own Spike, Dawn or Tara, Joss does.   
Feedback: Better then chocolate and half the calories, feed me!  
Author's Note: This takes place three years after Wrecked.  
  
******  
  
Sometimes I feel as if I'm completely alone. Surrounded in darkness and shadows. But that's only when I'm not with them, they make me feel as if I'm actually worth something. So when I hear the door open and close and smell the familiar scent of vanilla permitting the air, I smile to myself and walk into the living room. She hugs me and I feel her arms around me, pulling me closer to her heart. I consider her my sister, not Buffy. Buffy acts like its a chore to have me as a sister, while Tara considers me her best friend.  
  
She also knows my secrets, the things no one else knows about me. She knows that I used to steal things, that I used to sneak out late at night. She also knows that I'm in love with Spike. She never told me not to, which I will always appreciate. She knows that you can't help who you fall in love with. She fell in love with Willow, and even though they aren't together anymore, I know she still loves her.... she'll probably never stop loving her. I miss that, I miss them together. Willow moved out a year ago when she went back to magic. Buffy still lives here, but is hardly ever around, at least during daylight hours.   
  
Xander and Anya moved away a few months ago. I miss them, but Xander calls me at least three times a week so its not so bad. Plus that means not playing Life with Anya every week either. Sometimes she'd get so much fake money she'd have to excuse herself and go into another room to get herself together. Weird? Yeah I thought so too. Anyway, I'm a senior at SHS. Yeah, they rebuilt it. It has cooler stuff now... well, as cool as you could possibly make school.   
  
Tara asks me how my day was, I tell her 'fine'. I always say 'fine' when it was really horrible. I got another D in math. Big deal. In a year I won't remember any of this crap anyway, so what's the point? She asks me what went wrong... I tell her another bad grade, not the end of the world, at least not this week. It's not like I'm going to college anyway. My teachers tell me I'd be such a good student if I just 'applied myself'. Yeah. Uh huh. Right. I have more important things to 'apply' myself to, like researching and patrolling with Spike every night. I mean when you look at things like that, homework and studying don't really reach the same levels. Of course Willow disagrees with me, but that's because she was a bookworm in high school. I remember. Well at least the fake memories do.   
  
I look at my watch and realize that Spike will be here in fifteen minutes. It's sundown now, and he likes to sleep in before coming to pick me up. Tara notices the spacey look in my eyes and she smiles. She knows what I'm thinking about. Buffy doesn't know what I think about, nor does she really care. Ever since she came back she's been different. I think she'll always be different. My sister died that night Glory was defeated and in my eyes she never came back. I tell Tara that I'm going upstairs to change and she nods her head slowly as she unbuttons her jacket. My sneakered feet hit the stairs two at a time and I tug my purple shirt over my head and on to the floor. I reach into my closet and pull out a black silk tank top. I slip it over my head and then I unzip my jeans and throw them on my bed. I tug on my leather pants and boots and I'm ready to go. I look into my mirror and run a brush through my hair to make sure there's no birds nesting in there and run my lipstick over my lips. Just as I finish putting on my mascara, I hear the door open. The corners of my mouth turn up and I grab my peppermint breath spray and aim it in my mouth. The last time I did this I didn't see which direction it was pointing in and I accidentally sprayed it in my eye. Not a good thing to do.  
  
I clomp down the stairs and I see Spike talking to Tara in the living room. I cover my mouth to keep from laughing when I hear him tell her about the new season of Passions. Who watches soap operas anyway? Those bad camera angles and high school acting. Please spare me. I poke my head through the doorway and Spike turns around and sees me. His eyes widen at my outfit, and I smile because I knew it would make him look twice. I ask him if he's ready to go and he just nods, speechless. Tara tells me to be home by midnight and I hug her good-bye. She whispers in my ear to be good and I just wink at her as we walk out the front door.   
  
The air is cold outside and I think to myself how dumb I am to not bring a jacket. Spike looks over at me and notices me shivering. He wraps his duster around my shoulders and I look up at him and smile. He asks me how my day was, just like Tara did, but this time I tell him the absolute truth. I tell him how Kirstie made up a rumor about me again. No big surprise there. If looks could kill Kirstie's look would've crucified me three years ago. I don't know why she hates me so much, I mean I didn't do anything to her. Not like I care much though. After this year is over I won't have to look at her sorry excuse for a face anymore.   
  
We pass by the movie theater; they're showing Bram Stoker's Dracula. Ironic isn't it? I look over at Spike, he's been quiet for the past few blocks which means he's thinking about something important. The headlights from cars are illuminating his cheekbones and for a moment my legs grow weak. I turn away before he realizes I'm staring and walk on towards Weatherly Park. He thinks that a local vampire gang nested there, so of course we're going to end their little tirade.   
  
We approach the front gate and he pushes it open, the wrought iron scraping against the pavement. I wince, the sound is piercing. It doesn't seem to bother Spike though, and he walks into the park, with me at his side. I look around, my vision's not as good as his though and he turns sharply to the left. He grabs my arm through his duster and pulls me closer to him. Suddenly I see a pair of yellow flickered eyes glaring in our direction and I slowly reach into my pocket, my hand gliding over the wooden stake I keep with me. Before I can pull it out of my pants though I'm pushed to the side and I land on the hard ground, I can feel the long scrapes on the palms of my hand. I grit my teeth and push myself up again, turning around to see a female vampire with red curly teased hair. I tell her its not the 80's anymore and I grab the stake out of my pocket, this time successfully. She rushes me, her left hand nearly grazing my cheek and I step back. She growls and before she can throw another punch in my direction I thrust the stake into her chest and she just stares at me before she explodes into a cloud of ashes.   
  
I whip back around and I see Spike struggling with four vamps all punching him at once. I run over and jump on the back of one, knocking us both to the ground. He snarls at me and I feel his nails rake across my neck. I try to get up but he pushes me back and suddenly I'm laying flat against the ground, my cheek is touching the wet grass. His body is completely on top of mine now and even though I won't admit it to anyone, I'm petrified. I bring my leg up slowly and I knee him in the groin. He lets out this roar and I punch him in the face as hard as I can. He falls backwards and I crawl away and I'm up on my legs again. I pick up my fallen stake and stab him though the heart. As he bursts into dust, Spike sees me and runs over, staking the last vampire he was fighting.   
  
He takes my hands and sees the large scratches on them. He says I might need a stitch or two, but I shake my head. Ever since Mom's death I haven't been in a hospital... the memories are just more then I can bear. Spike's looking at me, and I look down at the ground. He asks if I want to go home, but I tell him no, I want to go to his place for a while. We walk out of the park and wind our way through the cemeteries, finally coming to his crypt. He asks if I want to watch tv and I shake my head up and down. He sits on his couch and pats the seat next to him, beckoning me to do the same.   
  
As I sit down, my knee rubs against his and I flinch. He sees my face and asks me to roll up my pants leg. I pull them up and I can tell that there's a huge bruise making its way to the surface. I tell him its no big deal, but he says to elevate it and he places his hand on my skin. His touch is cold, yet I feel warmer then I've ever felt before. I look at him and he looks at me as if he felt it too. I lay my hand on top of his and his gaze almost feels like its burning through me, but in a good way. My heart is beating wildly in my chest and I try to calm myself down, but I know its next to impossible to do with him looking at me like that. I cast my eyes down and I look back up again and he's still staring at me. His mouth is slightly open, and it looks like he's going to say something, but he doesn't, his icy blue eyes just sear though my own. I go to move my hand from his and he quickly takes it, lacing my fingers through his own.   
  
I feel the blush slowly creeping into my cheeks and his other hand slowly brushes my hair back past my ear. I unconsciously lean into him and before I realize it I tilt my head to the side as his lips brush against mine. I move closer to him and his hand goes around my neck as he seeks out my lips again. They're hovering right over mine when he pulls back and tilts my neck to the side. He sees the gashes on my neck from where the vamp slashed me with his nails and he lightly blows on the cut, trying to stop the pain. I'm just thankful I'm sitting down because my legs would have certainly collapsed. He sees my reaction and he leans into me, his lips softly kissing the wound. I feel his lips close over it and I can feel him start to drink from me, his tongue caressing the deep marks in my neck. I close my eyes and my other senses take control. My hands glide over his back, my nails lightly grazing his pale skin through his t-shirt. I reach for the bottom of the shirt when he pulls away and looks at me. His face echoes that of desire and passion and a drop of my blood trickles down his chin and on to my hand. I look down as he takes it and presses it to his lips, his tongue inching out to erase the droplet.   
  
A sigh escapes my open lips and I lift my head up and tenderly bring his lips to my own. He gently picks me up and suddenly I'm on his lap, with my legs on either side of him. His hand moves to brush the hair out of my face, and without warning there's a loud pounding on the door. I jump and immediately look at the watch on my wrist. I curse when I realize its almost 1:30 and I remember I had promised Tara that I would be home by midnight. Spike jumps up and I almost slide to the floor. I hear him curse under his breath and his hand reaches for the door handle when it flings open. He steps back and rolls his eyes when Buffy storms into the crypt. She glares at him and gives me an even harder stare.   
  
As her mouth starts to open, I step forward and tell her that she should just go home because I'm not leaving. She yells at me and she walks over to Spike to punch him. I step in-between and threaten to hit her if she lays a hand on him. She tilts her head to the side as if she didn't comprehend what I had just said. She shakes her head and tells me that if I'm not home by the next morning, she's staking Spike and there's nothing I can do about it. She storms out into the night and I sigh. Sometimes, well, most of the time actually I'd rather have the Buffybot around. At least she was cheery, not cruel and harsh like the real one is now.   
  
I feel a hand on my shoulder and I snap out the trance I was in. Spike gathers me in his arms and I just lay my head on his chest. He knows how hard it is for me to live with Buffy now. He knows she's not the same person anymore, everyone knows that. I think Willow's the one who never wants to admit it though, since she's the one who brought her back. That was the stupidest thing she could've done. I still haven't entirely forgiven her for that, and I don't think I ever will. But what's done is done and I can't undo the past no matter how much I want to sometimes.   
  
Spike lifts my chin up and he looks at me forlornly, and suddenly I can't stop the tears from falling this time. I try so hard to keep my emotions inside, but everything is too much for me right now. I close my eyes and I feel the hot teardrops running down my cheeks. I bite my lip to try and stop it from trembling but its no use. I let out a loud sob, and my hand flys to my mouth to try and quiet it, but Spike takes my hand away and picks me up. My arms go around his neck and he carries me over to the couch again and sits down next to me. I bury my head in his chest and my sobs echo through the crypt into the night. I'm past the point of caring though and my hands grab fistfuls of his t-shirt as my tears soak up into it. I can feel his hands gently rub my back in a soothing manner but it doesn't calm me any, it only reminds me that he and Tara are the only ones who truly care about me and that fact alone upsets me more then anything.   
  
I try talking but as I form the words, I start choking from crying so much. Spike just rocks me back and forth, I feel his arms pick me up and place me on his lap. His arms encircle me and I move my face from his chest and I look into his eyes again. He wipes the tears from my face and I can just imagine what I look like. A blurry, splotchy mess. I tell him not to look at me because I look horrible but the only whisper that escapes his lips is the word beautiful. I tilt my head in confusion and he leans in and touches his lips to mine. I tell myself to stop, to distance myself from him, but I can't, his touch is like heaven on my chilled body. He pulls me closer and suddenly I'm lying down on the couch, his face is above mine and he kisses me again. I pull him closer and he cradles me as I look up towards the ceiling and for the first time I don't feel so lonely anymore.   
  
To be continued.... 


	2. Part Two

Title: Eleutheria Author: Christine E-mail: Xanderette43@hotmail.com Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be unfortunately. Distribution: Lil' Nibblin, Fanfiction.net, The Athenaeum, Little Bit of Evil. anyone else just ask me and I'll let you have it. Rating: R Couple: Spike/Dawn Author's Notes: I'm sorry this has taken so long for me to write, I've been really busy lately and just haven't had time to write, but I'm back in action now so don't worry. This takes place three years after the beginning of season six.  
  
******  
  
Part Two  
  
As I open my eyes I can tell that it's the next day. Diaphanous streams of sunlight are trying to penetrate the thin curtain over the stained glass window on the other side of the room. I blink, trying to focus; it feels like the darkness is closing in on me. I feel around for him, but all I feel besides me is a blanket. Slowly I sit up, cringing when I touch the small cuts on my neck and hands. They're almost healed but still sting a bit. My feet touch the cold cement floor and I shiver as I take the blanket with me.  
  
I call out Spike's name but I hear no response. I start to panic when I remember Buffy saying that she'd kill him if I wasn't home by morning. My hand goes around the crypt's front door handle and I'm just about to open it when I hear footsteps coming from the trap door leading underground. I'm not sure whether to stay or run but before I can decide, the door opens and I see Spike walk up into the room with bags in his hands. I drop the blanket and run to him, no longer caring about the freezing floor. He drops the bags to the floor and catches me in his arms; I can feel the relief wash over me as my apprehension disappears.  
  
I ask him where he's been, he tells me he went shopping to get some things for us. I tell him I was worried about him, I didn't know if Buffy had confronted him again. He looks at me and leans forward to kiss my forehead. Spike tells me not to worry about him, he'll be fine. I shake my head in disagreement, as long as I'm here he's in danger from Buffy. He takes my hand and walks me over to the couch again and sits besides me. I feel him running his hands through my long hair and I move closer to him until my body is touching his. I'm just about to speak when there's a knock at the door.  
  
I start to get up but Spike sits me down again and goes to answer it. I'm worried that its Buffy come to cause more trouble but as I look over the couch towards the door, I see that it's Tara. She looks at me and her lip curls up a little, she gives me a small wave with her hand. I get up and move next to Spike, my hand slowly lacing through his. Tara sees this and raises her eyebrows so slightly it would be unnoticed if I wasn't looking so hard.  
  
Spike invites her in and she walks past the two of us to sit down on the couch. She opens her mouth to say something, but starts stuttering which means whatever she came to say is bad because she always does that when she gets nervous. She mentions something about Buffy, something that's been different about her. I nod my head in agreement, but Tara keeps talking. She says that there really is something iwrong/i with her, not just in the general sense. She goes on to say something about the resurrection spell Willow preformed to bring her back. She says that when the motorcycle gang of demons destroyed the Urn of Osiris, it left some of the aspects of her out because the spell hadn't been completed.  
  
I feel the tears brimming in my eyes and Spike reaches over and takes my hand in his. Tara looks down, almost ashamed. I touch her knee and she looks up as if she were expecting me to yell at her. I tell her that it's not her fault, Willow was the one who did the spell, and even she had no control over the circumstances. What I want to know however is how - wait if - we can fix it. Tara says that we can fix it if we had another Urn of Osiris, but she thinks that they used the last one on earth. My lip trembles, I want so desperately to make Buffy the way she was. I start to say something but Tara interrupts me. She goes on to say how there is one more urn, but it's in another dimension. My eyes widen and I decide right then and there that I'm going there to get it, no matter what it takes. I tell this to them but Tara says that it's too dangerous - it's an alternate reality, one where the slayer never came to Sunnydale. This sounds oddly familiar to me and I realize that Willow once had the vampire version of her come here from that dimension. I ask Tara about this and she nods, that's the place. She says it's dangerous there, people are afraid to venture out after dusk and vampires as well as other demons roam the town, claiming it their own.  
  
Spike suddenly gets up and asks her how to get there. Tara says there's a spell she and Willow can do to open a portal, but it would only hold for a day or two because it would be unstable. He looks down at me on the couch and I know what he's thinking. I stand up, my legs shaky and I nod slowly. Tara tries to argue, but our minds are made up. Spike tells her to find Willow and prepare the spell, he and I are going to find that urn.  
  
Tara gets up to leave but she hugs me before opening the door. She still doesn't think it's a good idea but she knows it's useless to argue with us. The door clicks shut behind her and I see Spike walk to the side of the crypt. He picks up a sword out of the weapons trunk he has and hands it to me. I grip the handle carefully and tilt my head to the side in confusion. Spike picks up another sword and tosses it back and forth between his hands. He motions for me to raise my sword and without warning he strikes, his sword comes up hitting the side of mine.  
  
"Welcome to your first training session Nibblet." 


	3. Part Three

Title: Eleutheria Author: Christine E-mail: Xanderette43@hotmail.com Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be unfortunately. Distribution: Lil' Nibblin, Fanfiction.net, The Athenaeum, Little Bit of Evil. anyone else just ask me and I'll let you have it. Rating: R Couple: Spike/Dawn Author's Notes: I'm sorry this has taken so long for me to write, I've been really busy lately and just haven't had time to write, but I'm back in action now so don't worry. This takes place three years after the beginning of season six.  
  
******  
  
Part Three  
  
I look at the clock on the wall. It's almost midnight. My palms are suddenly sweaty, I know pretty soon Spike and I are going through that portal and there's a good chance we won't be coming back. I watch the seconds tick by as I wait for Willow and Tara to come back from their apartment. They told Buffy to go patrol the cemeteries so she wouldn't stop us from going tonight. The Magic Box is unnaturally quiet, I still can't get used to it. A few years ago it would've been noisy with Xander and Anya arguing and Buffy training in the back room. Buffy hardly ever trains anymore, I don't think she cares much about anything, especially her life. Hopefully this trip I'm taking with Spike will fix that. I need my sister back, she's been gone far too long.  
  
The wooden door opens suddenly and I hear the jingle of the bell on top of it. I look away from the clock and see Willow and Tara coming towards me with spell books and bags of ingredients. I give them a small smile, and I know they see the worry within me. Tara rubs my shoulder comfortingly, trying to sooth me. Willow starts lining up the materials and asks Tara to draw the circle in the training room. Tara nods her head and picks up the red paint they brought with them. Willow hands her one of the books with a bookmark in it and she goes into the training room, closing the door behind her. Willow asks me where Spike went, I tell her I have no idea, he didn't want to tell me where he was going. She looks at me funny and then shrugs, going back to counting the materials. I look back at the clock, it's a quarter to twelve now. I can hear the tick of the minute hand as it makes its way around. Willow tells me to relax, everything will go just fine. I try nodding my head but I'm just too nervous about this whole thing. Not that I want to back out, but I'm just afraid of what we'll find there.  
  
I'm just about to ask Willow about what the other reality will be like when the door jingles again and I see Spike walk in. I jump out of my chair and he takes me in his arms. Willow looks back at us and for a brief moment I think she's going to say something but she doesn't. She says hello to Spike and turns her attention back to the spell book. I look up at him and he brushes his lips against mine, calming my nerves for a few moments. I ask him where he was, cutting it so close to the time of the spell. He turns around and pulls a bag through the doorway. It reminds me of the sac that Santa Clause would bring with him every Christmas filled with presents. Spike tugs open the drawstring on it and starts pulling out weapons, some of which I've only read about in Giles' dusty books. He tells me to take my pick, we'll need something to protect ourselves with once we're there. I look down at the array of killing tools and I bend down to pick up the Morning Star. It's a little heavy, but not as much as the sword I was training with earlier. Spike takes the sword and stuffs a few stakes in his duster pockets. He hands one to me and I put it into my leather jacket's pocket that's hanging on one of the chairs.  
  
I see Tara come back from the training room and she and Willow exchange looks. Tara opens her mouth to speak when the front door opens again and Xander and Anya race into the store. Xander gives me a big bear hug and Anya gives me a small wave and then goes to see what the two Wiccans are doing. I hug Xander back, I've missed him so much these past couple months. He could always make me smile no matter how depressed or angry I was. He lets go and looks at me up and down. His eyebrows go up and he asks why I'm dressed like I should be walking the streets of New York City. I roll my eyes and I tell him that Spike and I have to fit in with the crowd in the other reality, and since vampires make up most of that reality, leather would go better then lace. He nods in understanding and turns around as Willow calls us over. I grab my leather jacket and throw it on as we follow her into the training room in the back. She tells Spike and I to stand on the edges of the circle on the floor next to each other.  
  
I look over at Xander and he gives me a small smile. I smile back and I see him walk over to Spike on the other side of the circle. I can see Spike roll his eyes and nod his head agreeing with whatever Xander is saying to him. Willow and Tara hug me and wish me luck before they start the spell and Anya throws her arms around me telling me I'd better come back or else she won't have anyone to talk to about men. I hug her back and I tell her not to worry, Spike and I will be back; hopefully with Buffy's cure. She goes back to stand next to Xander and I know they're worried beyond belief about this. I also know Xander wants to come with us, but it'll be too risky; it's already dangerous enough.  
  
Tara gives Spike and I two amulets to help protect us, I stuff it into my pants pocket before I lose it somewhere. She and Willow exchange looks again and slowly start the spell, chanting to the Gods and Goddesses. I look over at Spike and he winks at me, trying to make the situation lighter somehow. I reach over to hold his hand and his fingers interlock with my own. I look back over at Willow and Tara. They're holding hands and I can tell they're in deep concentration. I can feel the mystical energy flowing off of them, I hope they have enough strength to keep the portal up until we get back. I pick up the Morning Star off the floor and grip it in my other hand tightly.  
  
Willow's voice gets louder and suddenly a small hole in the air starts to appear. My hand clutches Spike's tighter as the opening becomes almost twice the size of me. Tara looks over at us and nods her head. I say goodbye to everyone and Spike motions for us to start to walk through the portal. I can feel my lip tremble when I realize that I might not ever see my friends ever again, at least the human versions of them. I hear Willow say we have forty-eight hours to find the urn and get back before the portal closes. I nod in understanding and Spike steps into the portal, his right foot disappearing. I close my eyes and follow him slowly into the darkness. 


	4. Part Four

Title: Eleutheria Author: Christine E-mail: Xanderette43@hotmail.com Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be unfortunately. Distribution: Lil' Nibblin, Fanfiction.net, The Athenaeum, Little Bit of Evil. anyone else just ask me and I'll let you have it. Rating: R Couple: Spike/Dawn Author's Notes: This takes place three years after the beginning of season six. As for the 'wishverse' I made my own rules.  
  
******  
  
Part Four  
  
I can see the ground long before we hit it. Spike pulls me towards him as we fall from the portal. His body takes most of the impact when we finally collide with the grass. I groan, my shoulder and my arm hurt like hell, but I'm more concerned about Spike. He curses and turns slowly over onto his back to look over at me. I sit up slowly, my head is pounding. I mention that Willow never said anything about a rough landing. He rolls his eyes and says he'll have a few words with her when we get back. We both get up gradually; it feels like my muscles are screaming. I look around us and realize that we're in the football stadium in back of the high school. I reach down and pick up my weapon, Spike already has his sword in his hand and we start walking towards the center of town.  
  
I see the movie theater in the distance, the brightly lit marquee promoting the latest movies. As we walk further downtown, I start getting this sense of dread, of fear that I usually never got back home. I glance over at Spike and I know he feels it too. Something is off, something just doesn't seem right. I realize then that every store we walk past has been long closed. The Espresso Pump is locked and thick steel bars are across the doors. I glance over at the movie theater and the show times in the window tell me they close at three o'clock everyday. I'm just about to say something when I hear something behind us. Spike turns sharply around and sees two figures in the distance. He touches my arm and motions for us to keep moving. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I gently pat my pants pocket to make sure my stake is still there. I can hear the footfalls of the people behind us get closer, so I start walking faster, tugging on Spike's duster. We're almost to the Magic Box when I hear snickering. Spike turns around again and his eyes widen. I look behind us and almost drop my weapon when I realize who they are. I swallow hard; my heart is beating so rapidly in my chest it feels like its going to explode.  
  
"Well well well, look at what we've got here. Two people stupid enough to venture out in the middle of the night. Guess you've got a death wish."  
  
The guy takes a step closer to us as the girl drapes her arms around him, her hands rubbing up and down his chest. "Bored now. Can we just kill them and go home?"  
  
He turns his face towards hers and I can see his lip curling up in a sinister smile. "Now you know the fun is all in the chase Will, otherwise what would be the point?"  
  
She nods her head in agreement and brings her fingers to her mouth, her tongue inching out to lick them. "That last one was messy, I hope these two aren't."  
  
I can feel my heart pounding in my chest so hard it almost hurts. I take a step backwards and I tug on Spike's duster, trying to make him do the same. He doesn't budge though and I can feel his body tense, preparing for a fight. I look at the two vampires again and sigh, wishing that there was some other way of getting out of here without having a confrontation. Unfortunately there are no other options and I pull my stake out of my pocket reluctantly, my hand grasping it tightly. I try not to think about who these two vampires are, or should I say were, and I can see Spike glance at me, his feet about to spring from the pavement that they're on.  
  
Willow's fist lashes out at me and before I can take another breath I stumble backwards and I can feel the air whoosh past me, her hand missing my face by half an inch. I hear her curse and her leg kicks out from behind her and suddenly I'm on the ground, the wind knocked out of me. I see my stake on the ground a couple feet in front of me but I know I won't be able to reach it. I push myself up again and as her fist comes towards my face again I grab her arm and twist making her lose her balance and I grab her hair with my other hand and pull as hard as I can. Her scream pierces my ears and for a second I want to cover them but I hold on to her hair and tug until I hear the sickening rip. I feel my nose turn up in disgust and I throw the chunk of hair on the road and lean down to grab my fallen stake. I hear a roar behind me and I duck just in time before Xander's foot smashes me in the face. I can hear Spike shouting something at me but I can't hear him over the vampires' yelling.  
  
"Bitch! You ripped her fucking hair out!" He races towards me menacingly and I feel my eyes grow wide as I realize this was the same person I used to have ice cream sundaes with all the time while watching Conan O'Brien. I shake my head, 'no, this isn't him' I tell myself. The real Xander Harris is in the other dimension looking after my sister and praying I come back safe and sound. I break myself out of my reverie just before his hand goes around my throat. I thrust the stake up and plunge it into his chest and his yellow eyes look into my blue ones and I can hear him gasp, looking down at the wood protruding from his heart. He looks back at me and before I can say anything he explodes, his ashes raining down on me.  
  
I turn around and I see Willow's fist stopping right before hitting Spike in the face. She sees what became of her dearest blowing away in the wind and I see her wiping her face with the back of her hand. I realize she has tears trailing down her cheeks, an odd hollowness on her otherwise grotesque face. Her yellow eyes gaze down to the stake I'm holding in my hand and trail back up to my face. Her lips whisper his name and just as she launches herself towards me, I see the glimmer of Spike's sword cut through her neck. She explodes before her head tumbles towards my feet and her ashes drift slowly to the ground to join her lover's. I drop my stake and I can feel my hand covering my mouth as I try and process what had just happened. I feel Spike's arms wrap around me and I lean into him, my body suddenly very cold. I can hear him whisper to me that it wasn't really them, that we did what we had to do. I nod slowly, understanding that if we didn't kill them, we would be the ones on the ground. I pull myself together and his lips touch so quickly I can't tell if it happened or not. I hear Spike grumble about losing precious time and before I can pick up my stake I feel him tugging on my hand. I lean down and grab it just as he breaks into a jog, taking me with him as we sprint down the dark streets of Sunnydale aware now of the dangers that lie ahead. 


End file.
